Guardians
by RedHeadsRock1010
Summary: There were only ever two of them at one time; born in pairs and destined from birth to keep the balance. The Fenton parents always knew their son was different–with the odd smiles, imaginary friends, and talks of reincarnation–but it wasn't until they moved to Amity Park that they finally realized just how different. Guardians AU, canon-compliant until PP.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"...and when one of them meets the other half, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other's sight, as I may say, even for a moment..."

 **A/N** : The Guardians AU was very popular with readers so here is a separate story about Vlad and Danny being even more special than just Halfas. (For those who have read the prologue before in Secrets Revealed, I changed and added some things).

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

When Vladimir Masters was born, the world paused to take a breath.

Every living creature felt the change, but only the ghosts knew what it meant. The newer ones went wide-eyed at the prospect of another Guardian being born, but the older ghosts simply shrugged, used to the rebirth cycle after so many generations and just silently hoping and praying that these ones would actually _do their job._

When a few weeks passed without the second guardian being revealed, the Ghost Zone became uneasy. Guardians were always chosen in pairs and gifted to the world within several days of each other; for the second one to have not been born yet meant existence itself was at an unbalance.

When Vladimir Masters was born, the world took a breath it couldn't let go of for 30 years.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

The day Daniel Fenton was born, reality shifted.

Like a tipped scale finally being righted, the cracks in the very existence of everything healed in an instant and balance was once again restored, but not without consequences. For 30 years, the world had suffered an unbalance to the point where even humans shivered at the sense of wrongness in the air around them.

Guardians were _always_ born in pairs.

The unsettling nature caused feelings of uncertainty, and the ghosts, who were more in touch with nature than humans, suffered because of it. But no one suffered more than the man who spent all those years waiting for someone or something he couldn't explain.

The day Daniel Fenton was born, the world woke up–and some still wonder if it should have just stayed asleep.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

Danny knew this was a bad idea. God, did he know this was an _awful idea and he should really turn around and leave,_ but he couldn't. Not when Tucker's face lit up at the prospect of discovering new technology. Not when Sam's eyes sparkled like gems as she gazed in wonder at the doorway to another world. His friends glowed when he showed them the portal, and wasn't it his own fault for suggesting the idea in the first place? He dug his own grave, now he had to lay in it.

He tried to ignore the shiver of excitement he felt at the idea of death and focused instead on zipping up his jumpsuit.

Normal kids aren't fascinated with the color green or bright lights. Normal kids aren't obsessed with other realms and realities, and space. Normal kids don't get stuck in a freezer for an hour and come out grinning like they were at a theme park. Normal kids don't think of life and death like they aren't a big deal and just a _natural circumstantial process of existence without principal definition or purpose that mortals are so eager to label–_ Danny shook his head quickly to focus.

As the fourteen-year-old slowly approached the portal, Sam and Tucker's encouraging words blurred into the background. Static filled Danny's ears and his limbs tingled as if the blood in his body couldn't filter fast enough.

This was important. Somehow, this was important, and although his mind kept repeating that phrase over and over again, Danny couldn't help but feel terrified. He knew something was going to happen and it would change _everything,_ but it would be a good change, right?

When green lights flashed as he leaned against the 'on' button– that was an accident, right? – and cold entered his body as if it were _finally coming home after being away for so long_ , the anxiety and uncertainty Danny felt left him in an instant and a sense of rightness filled him to the brim.

He felt this warm emotion, a bubbling need to protect and save and sooth and heal. It hurt, but it hurt like it was _meant_ to hurt, like it was always supposed to hurt- and that was okay because everything felt okay and things would be alright. He'd find the other and then they'd fix this. He'd find the other–the other who? Someone.

He had to find someone.

The humans outside of the Portal screamed and he tried to smile at them through the onslaught of new emotions and a new purpose, but his body wasn't as ready to get started as his mind was.

Danny Fenton collapsed at his friend's feet in a dead faint after being shocked with 250,000 volts of electricity in his parents basement.

Thousands of miles away, a bitter old man felt something for the first time in many years, and a little voice whispered that he should reconnect with his old college buddies very soon.

He called his secretary to set up the date.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

Danny tried to explain it to his best friends–he really, truly did–but since he himself couldn't fully grasp it, there was no way he'd be able to help someone else understand. Sam and Tucker at least recognized that something other than becoming half-ghost had happened to their friend a month ago and decided to watch him closer than ever before.

Those little rants Danny used to mumble about as a kid when his eyes would glaze over were analyzed with care. His moments of confusion and disorientation whenever he'd forget who he was or start mumbling on the playground about things none of the other children could understand. The move the Fentons suddenly went on halfway through Danny's third grade year of school because of an incident with a teacher was suddenly questioned.

Danny couldn't explain it, so they didn't pry, but if it wasn't for Danny's extreme confidence in the "rightness" he felt, his friends would have admitted him to a mental hospital already.

As his powers developed and he embraced his new status as a half-ghost hybrid, Danny fought several ghosts that came through the newly awakened portal and always felt disturbed when their eyes would light up in recognition. The odd smiles they sent him before a battle were really starting to creep him out. He knew being a Halfa was rare since he'd never met or heard of another one yet, but this was ridiculous!

Why were the ghosts acting like they had a secret?

If there was one thing the Trio had learned over the years, however, it was that for some reason Danny was _very_ important. They wouldn't exactly say the ghosts went easy on him, but Danny knows Skulker isn't _that_ bad of a shot–and shouldn't he have lost a limb or two facing Technus last week?

Things were different and life was harder as a superhero, but Danny had his friend's support and his family's love so he knew he'd be alright.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

Ghosts were complicated and complex beings, and although he really shouldn't, Danny felt the compelling need to help them; even the ones that continued to terrorize Amity Park every day.

That's why when Skulker came to Danny for a fight, he'd send him away with dating advice and money to buy Ember flowers. And when the Box Ghost requested help with organizing his favorite boxes, Danny spent the entire afternoon listening to the ghost gush about his most treasured possessions; with a small smile on his face and a pleasant warmth spreading through his entire being.

It just felt good and it felt _right_. These were people–granted they were dead people, but sentient beings all the same–and though the balance may sway occasionally, on days like this when he entertained YoungBlood for hours, Danny couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly happy and content.

Stopping in the middle of his story, Youngblood noticed his smile and seemed to freeze. Danny didn't bother to ask what was wrong because he could feel the slight brush of curiosity and hope at the edges of Youngblood's mood before the kid sucked in a deep breath and said, "You're really good, you know. I mean- you're _doing_ really good, er–well. Better than the others."

Danny raised an eyebrow and asked, "Others?" but the young ghost clammed up and got this expression like he knew he was going to get in trouble for this later so Danny just let it go.

If the ghosts wouldn't tell him what he was, why he was here, or _who he was still waiting for_ , he'd just find out for himself.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

Danny couldn't understand humans very well anymore–he wasn't even sure if he understood them in the first place–but he could still feel them like he used to as a child, it was just stronger now.

He remembered those times on the playground where he'd feel things about the other kids that he shouldn't know. When he'd made the other kids cry because he was just trying to understand them. When the parents got involved and _then the teacher had–_

Whatever his job was, whatever his purpose, Danny knew that it had something to do with protecting people because in this moment, at their high school, seeing Dash pulling back a fist to punch the kid in his other hand made his blood boil.

But with the ability to feel the victim's fear also came the burden of knowing the bully's pain.

Dash's emotions were like little buzzards fluttering about the hallway, a swarm of anxiety and depression and _worthless failure never amount to anything weak useless–_ and the fear of his father, of those looks he'd get and the disappointment _and this was the only way i'msorryimsorryimsorryimsorry_.

Danny swallowed before calmly stepping forward. His hands tingled and his hearing went static, but for some reason he wasn't worried about his secret identity as Phantom.

For some reason, this felt right _._

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

Fenton was always weird.

At first it was funny: on the playground Danny would get these faraway looks whenever someone would ask him questions, and he always knew the answers. Of course, he'd mumble them out with a dazed expression and none of the third graders could make any sense of what the new kid was saying, but it was still funny to them because Danny was _different_. Even as kids they had been able to recognize that he wasn't like them, but it only became obvious when they got older.

Fenton glows. No, seriously, when the kid is happy with that big stupid smile on his face as he kindly tells the boy and girl in front of him that their "souls are pretty," the students of Casper High have to look away because they swear that kid is radiating so much sunshine that it physically hurts to stare at him too long.

Dash used to be so bothered by this that he'd shove the smaller teen into walls and toss him around a bit just to see if that smile would dim–and oh holy hell did it dim, but not the way Dash wanted it to because when Danny was sad it felt like all the oxygen in the world was just _gone and something was so very wrong and he has to fix this somehow it's his fault–_

But then Danny would smile again like he understood what Dash was feeling, and the air would suddenly return but Dash _still couldn't breathe._

Something was definitely off about Fenton because nobody else could capture the attention of everyone around him with a single look. But Danny could, and he was doing it right now.

"Dash," Danny whispered, small fingers pressed over the clenched fist raised in the air, ready to pummel the kid in front of Dash for daring to run into him when he was already feeling _awful and worthless and_ –

"Dash," Danny repeated again, more forceful than before. Finally, the blond looked at the smaller boy and sucked in a deep breath because Danny didn't even have to say any words, his eyes held the answers to everything he could possibly be trying to convey without ever parting his lips.

The blond jock dropped his hands and just stood there, entranced by the eyes of Daniel Fenton. The kid he let go of rubbed his neck and went to hide behind someone else in the hallway, but all Dash could see were those crystal blue eyes that seemed to tear his very soul apart as if judging his worth before putting it back together without a single missing piece–because Danny could show Dash all the blackened parts of his soul, but it was jock's job to snap the bad parts off and work on replacing them himself.

Then Danny smiled and patted Dash's arm like he was proud of him _and_ _holy shit what is this feeling_ and everyone in the hallway of Casper High couldn't help but wonder if Danny Fenton was an angel sent from heaven to guide them because they sure as hell did not deserve it.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

The fourteen-year-old had finally gotten complete control over his new powers when his family announced a sudden trip to Wisconsin to meet an old college buddy of his parents. Danny wanted to complain, but when he heard the word 'Wisconsin' his heart skipped a beat and his hands tingled like they had before he stepped into the portal.

This was important.

Knowing this, Danny settled for whining half-heartily in the back seat of his family's RV the whole trip to hide his swirling emotions. Before he entered the portal, Danny knew it was meant to happen and everything would be fine. Now, though? The tingling burned and he wasn't so sure that was a good thing.

The Fenton's arrived early and were welcomed to stay at Mr. Master's mansion by the host, but the smile looked forced and his tone sounded bitter. As a generally shy person, Danny avoided eye contact with this new man until he absolutely had to.

The teen could sense Vlad Master's obvious animosity towards his family so the avoidance was actually more of a safety thing than an "I'm shy" thing. Nonetheless, when Danny's blue eyes finally met the whirlwind of Vlad's, all Danny felt was _painpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpain destroy end stop they did this oh my god make it stop why did they do this it's their fault IT'S THEIR FAULT please help me god just stop-_

Danny's heart _burned_ as he caught a glimpse of the tundra of emotions hidden within this seemingly confident businessman, and one of his hands reached up to cup over his mouth to keep from crying out. The anger and the fear and the _unbalance_ within this man-–who obviously wasn't as human as he appeared –was nauseating, and the boy looked away quickly to collect himself while Vlad remained frozen, an ironic contrast to the burning feelings within him.

The Fenton family only turned away for a second, but when they turned around again, their son looked like he was about to cry and Vlad looked like, after so many years, he had finally been able to stop.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

 _-lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove bright family love everything new important protect have find safe heal here something find love someone new bright-_

The boy broke eye-contact first which gave Vlad a couple of seconds to think. The tingling in his arms died down and the static disappeared as Jack's loud voice cut through the ambient sound somewhere to the left.

This boy was... well he didn't know what this boy was but he knew he was important. And by god was this kid just made up of love and light? His emotions were overwhelming and the _pressure–_ it was like a tidal wave you couldn't swim away from or the _fucking sun_ refusing to go find a cloud to stay behind.

Whatever it was, it was big and it was _right_. At least, it felt right. When the accident that made him a ghost _freak waste of space monster unwanted_ and left him stranded in a hospital, Vlad felt pressure upon his very being that he hadn't known was there until it was made glaringly obvious, and he felt so alone and scared and _missing something he couldn't describe_ that it took several years of therapy and surgery for him to recover.

Vlad's eye narrowed at the trembling boy before him. This child couldn't possibly be what he was missing, and the fact he had even dared to hope he wasn't alone in this world made the growing hole in his heart easier to ignore as he rejected the person he had been waiting for his whole life.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

Well fuck that. If this broken man wanted to play games with his own heart, Danny would just pick up the pieces and keep throwing them back until Vlad learned how to catch.

He'd been waiting his whole life for this and he wasn't going to let some grumpy old man decide he wasn't worth the effort. The scale was still tipped, but Danny was going to try his damn hardest to keep the balance, even if the other half of the weight decided to be a real bastard about it.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

The reunion was awful and fighting with Vlad was even worse. While Danny was immersed in cold, Vlad radiated so much heat it physically hurt to touch him.

They were both Halfas, two freaks of nature stuck in-between two planes of existence, but when their powers collided, it was like everything was right in this world. Too bad Vlad was so much older and stronger than him. Really, the power imbalance was just ridiculous.

Danny saved his father from the piss-poor plan of Vlad's to "get revenge," even though the man was obviously just running through the motions, and the Fenton's went back to Amity Park; far away from Vlad. Despite his determination to save this old man who was hurting so much inside, Danny couldn't help but recognize that the rejection _burned_ and would take a while to get used to. Especially since Vlad's ever-changing emotional rage was now being broadcasted to him 24/7. Apparently not even thousands of miles could keep their powers from resonating, a connection that thrilled Danny– _progress! HELL YES! –_ but annoyed the older Halfa.

Vlad didn't understand why this tiny ball of goddamn sunshine was trying so hard. This kid radiated protective feelings and a touch of calming emotions that it was honestly hard to be around his positive energy for so long.

It was really odd how polar opposite they were and definitely deserved more research. Are Halfas supposed to be polar opposites? Were there others before them? Light and dark, cold and heat, happiness and _bitter despair loneliness forever someone help please no–_ Vlad gripped his forehead as he felt the stupid kid's positive presence try and chase away his negative thoughts even from this far away.

He chose to ignore how the burning feelings of loneliness started to melt under the icy touches of green light curling around his mind.

Vlad didn't like him much, but he knew Danny was important; he knew he himself was important too.

Now if only they could figure out why.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

A long time ago, the Observants took pity on the mortals they watched over and chose to create a guardian to protect them. This protector, however was gifted by the universe with the ability to see, hear, and know all, but be unable to interfere.

The being looked over the flow of time and cried for the sufferings of those he was supposed to protect. Knowing what the future would hold for humans, the being begged the Universe itself to give the mortals guidance and balance, a way to keep them safe and _alive._

After hundreds of years of watching over the creatures in several planes of reality, the Universe gave the protector a gift for his suffering: two beings who would know both the pain of death and the burden of life would be born as the previous ones died, and they would protect and destroy and live and die and love and hate for they were light and dark– _balance and chaos_ –and they would keep the humans sane.

But in fear of such power being given to beings who were still somewhat mortal, the Observants created a "kill switch." If two guardians were ever a danger to themselves, the mortals, the Universe, or the higher powers, the spell would stop their hearts and freeze them long enough for the Observants to figure out a plan. By freezing the balancers, they'd only have a few hours to decide to either fix or kill the current guardians before the world would be plunged into suffering and chaos.

The Observants have never used the switch before, but with the current young guardian's less than promising future, they tried to take it out of its hiding place deep within the Ghost Zone as a precautionary measure. What they never expected was for a group of humans in white coats to be able to sneak up on them during the extraction process and steal the stone and the scrolls of its history by using anti-ectoplasmic prisons.

The ancient ghosts were powerful, but even they needed a minute to be able to escape weapons that fought against their very being. When they were free, they raced after the humans only to be stopped by the protector they had created.

Clockwork eyed his furious one-eyed superiors before smiling knowingly. "All is as it should be."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

 **A/N:** This story will first have a background about Danny growing up different before a discovery about what Vlad and Danny are and what their purpose is. Baby Danny is precious and must be protected. Chapter one will be up shortly!


	2. Toddler Troubles (part 1)

**Chapter 1**

 _~14 years ago~_

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

The human world was a disgusting place.

Honestly, why she ever let Johnny convince her to come here, she would never know. Sure, there was always the occasional fun of terrifying humans who couldn't see them, but having to watch their nauseating habits? Gross.

This family, for example, had food _everywhere_. Not just in the kitchen–where it slid over the counters and dripped on their stained tile floor–but on the couch, the railing upstairs, the television, and even something unspeakable covering the bedrooms from top to bottom.

"We are never coming back here," Kitty snapped at her boyfriend, rubbing a piece of cheese off of her fingers. She eyed the counter she had placed her hand on with disgust.

"Come on, babe, rumor is these people actually believe in ghosts," Johnny laughed, floating near the ceiling fan, which–what a surprise–had a slice of pizza hanging off of it. "I know how much you like scaring the superstitious ones."

Kitty put her foot down, shaking her fist at the absolute jerk of a ghost. "I like scaring them, but right now _I'm_ the one who's terrified! What kind of people are these–?" She was cut off when a sound from the basement carried into the kitchen.

Johnny's grin deepened and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. Kitty huffed, but watched out of the corner of her eye as he slowly ordered his Shadow to descend the stairs with him. If this was how her lovely boyfriend wanted to spend their date night, then fine, but next time it was her choice and they would most _certainty_ be going to the brightest place she could find; that damn Shadow wouldn't be able to follow them there.

After a few minutes, the shrieks of fear reached her ears and a loud scream of "GHOST!" had her laughing. She covered her hands over her face and struggled to keep the laughter in when a little girl carrying a smaller human child came rushing in from another room.

She had a shock of red hair and an angry expression on her youthful face. "MOM! Dad's hallusin- halluson- _hallucininateng_ again!"

More screams of "Ghost!" came from the basement, this time from a voice that was distinctly feminine. The little girl groaned. "All right, stay here," she huffed to the smaller human, who she placed gently in a highchair.

Turning around, the girl marched down the basement shouting, "If this is another one of your ghost things, I'm gonna-" her voice slowly growing softer until her yelling was muffled by the distance.

Kitty snickered, finally pulling her arm away from her face and allowing herself to laugh now that she couldn't hear what the humans were saying anymore. She'd never tell Johnny how much she enjoyed that, but it was defin –

A small hand touched her arm.

Kitty stiffened immediately. She could still sense that Johnny was downstairs with the humans, and no other ghost had entered the house since they arrived that she knew of. Slowly, she turned her head and looked down at the small fingers grasping her fishnet undershirt.

Big, blue eyes stared back up at her.

Her panic set in immediately and she ripped her arm away from the human child, backing up as far as she could while still keeping eyes on it. She could feel her chest moving up and down, mimicking the motion only the living required as her spirit resorted to muscle memory it really shouldn't have.

The child watched her go, reaching its chubby fingers out and following her movement _as if_ _it could see her._

Humans couldn't see ghosts, but this one was looking right at her.

Kitty stopped her chest spasms and tried to call out. "J-Johnny. Johnny!" The human child whined and covered its ears– _it couldn't hear her, right? OhmyClockwork–_ "JOHNNY!"

"Babe! Chill, I was just–" she cut him off mid-sentence and pulled him next to her, pointing at the human in the highchair.

Johnny blinked, sharing a look with his Shadow who had followed him upstairs again. "Do you want me to scare that one too? It's a bit young for my tastes," he said, slowly, hoping his girlfriend wasn't pissed at him.

Kitty shook her head, nails digging into Johnny's spirit. "It's looking at me," she stated sharply, lack of panic making it easier for her to realize the insanity of the situation. "Johnny, it _touched_ me."

The male ghost raised an eyebrow, knowing better than to laugh. "Babe, I know you said that these humans were freaking you and stuff, but–" yet again he was cut off as Kitty suddenly shoved him across the room. Johnny let himself be thrown by her movement and prepared to phase through the kid, only to run straight into the human with such a force that it knocked the highchair over.

In his shock, Johnny automatically reached out to catch a child he _shouldn't be able to touch_ and stared disbelievingly when it settled into his arms.

If any of the kid's human family members had walked in at this moment, they would have seen their child seemingly floating in midair. The picture a ghost could see, however, was even more astonishing as Johnny stood frozen with a human babbling nonsense at him while his girlfriend panicked in the corner.

Johnny blinked at the child, fingers curling around it's small, fleshy body. "I'm holding it," he whispered. "I'm holding a human baby."

"Put it down, put it down, put it down," Kitty hissed from the corner. "The parents!"

Now that the shock was settling, Johnny could hear the sound of footsteps traveling up the basement stairs. He quickly placed the child in the highchair– _"It's upside down, damn it, Johnny!"_ –before grabbing his girlfriend's hand and rising to the ceiling to hide.

They'd _never_ had to hide from a human before.

The little girl with red hair skipped into the room, mumbling something about "nonsense" and "crazy." She froze at the sight of her brother, squirming around in his highchair.

"How in the world," she whispered, reaching out to righten him. "You always do this, Danny. You're as weird as mom and dad."

The baby gurgled spit and reached upwards, making a noise that meant interest. Jazz followed his fingers and saw nothing. "Don't worry, little brother," she cooed, picking up the child who was still reaching up, "I'll protect you from mom and dad's weirdness."

As the two humans left the room, Kitty and Johnny watched the small child's eyes never leave them.

It was a well-known fact that humans couldn't see ghosts because, technically, they existed on another plane of existence. The most a ghost could do when a natural portal opened up was travel into the human world and knock things over or cast shadows and make noises.

Never had a ghost been touched by a human before.

Kitty and Johnny shared a look. They were relatively new ghosts so they could easily slip through the cracks and suspicions of the older ones whenever they visited the human world.

They'd be back, but no one else was to _ever_ find out about this kid. Who knew what the council would do to it if anyone did?

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

* * *

 **A/N:** Again, this story will follow Danny as he grows up, but with the Guardians AU instead of completely following his canon childhood. He will be different, unusual, rejected and accepted over and over again, until he eventually discovers who and what he and Vlad are.

The ghosts know and revere him. The humans don't and fear him.


	3. Toddler Troubles (part 2)

**Chapter 2**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

* * *

"Jack, get the camera!" Maddie cried, clasping her hands together and sinking to her knees. In front of her sat the cutest picture ever: her disgruntled son pulling at the mini jumpsuit she had put him in.

Danny's blue eyes blinked down at the blue and black outfit. "Mommy?" he asked, small fingers playing with the pockets.

Maddie practically cooed, waving at Danny who excitedly waved back. "Yes, sweetie. Mommy's right here," she soothed. Her husband raced into the room holding their video camera and she quickly pulled him down next to her. "Oh, Jack, just look at our little ghost hunter!"

Jack was equally as excited as his wife, and the two adults grinned like proud parents as their two-year-old pushed himself on his feet, falling on his bum a few times as the material over his toes caught on itself.

"Do you think we should get him a mini ectogun?" Maddie wondered, already picturing the adorable child waving a plastic replica around.

"Boom boom!" Danny cried, little arms in the air as he mimicked what he knew an ectoblast sounded like. The basement where his parents worked wasn't exactly soundproof. "Mommy!"

Jack and Maddie hugged each other, eyes watering as Danny giggled and played around the living room shouting various noises. "Just imagine, Maddie," Jack said wistfully, "In a couple of years he'll be taking after the family business and I can finally blather on about ghosts!"

So far the two adults had managed to keep their occupation mostly separate from their jobs as parents–as per request of their eldest daughter–but they couldn't help it if they were excited to finally introduce their son to their work in the future. Despite the criticism from pretty much everyone, they were extremely proud of their research and wanted to share it with anyone who would listen. By doing so, they'd accidentally made their daughter hate it, but their son might not be a lost cause.

Jack's booming voice about Danny becoming a future hunter reached the one person in the house who would disagree. Angry stomps came from upstairs as their daughter Jasmine peeked over the railing. "No!" she demanded, pointing a finger down at her parents and little brother. "You leave him out of your crazy!"

Danny heard her voice and turned, squinting upwards until he recognized his older sister. Immediately he smiled, showing off his newly formed baby teeth, and raced towards her. "Az! Az!" he squealed, capturing the hearts of everyone in the way only babies could.

Maddie placed a hand over her chest. "My heart," she hummed.

Jazz smiled warmly at the excited baby as she descended the stairs to greet him. Bouncing on his toes, Danny flapped his arms until Jazz placed her hands under his shoulders and lifted him onto her hip. To her parents, who she noticed were recording the whole thing and grinning at them, she glared. "He will _not_ hunt your imagination-nary ghosts! Danny is a beautiful, intelligent angel that I refuse to let you corrupt with your weirdness," she claimed, pressing Danny's head to her chest.

Danny's blue eyes found something on the ceiling and he cried, "Gest!"

Jazz stared down at him in horror. Maddie and Jack were grabbing each other and sobbing dramatically, "He said ghost! He said ghost!"

"No!" Jazz tried to argue, pulling Danny's hand down so he wasn't pointing at the ceiling. "No!"

"No!" Danny mimicked, still looking up. "No!"

"Danny," Jazz snapped, waiting until her brother turned to stare at her. She grasped both of his hands tightly and pulled him close to her face. "No ghosts. Ghosts bad. Ghosts not real."

The child blinked at her, then pointed to the ceiling. "Gest."

Jasmine moaned when her parents laughed. "You taught him this!"

"We didn't, Jazzy-pants, we swear; must be the Fenton instincts. Even Danny-boy knows those nasty specters are out there," Jack reassured, trying to hide how proud he was to avoid his daughter's ire. He was failing badly.

"You guys don't get it," Jazz shouted, clutching Danny closer. "He starts Pre-K soon and you can't teach him to talk to imaginary beings. Danny's almost two years old and he still talks to them because you keep telling him they're real!"

She pointed up at the ceiling where Danny was still looking. "Do you see a ghost there?"

Her parents shook their heads. "Well, no, Jazzy, but– "

"That's because there isn't one. I don't care if you _think_ ghosts are out there or not, but if you keep encouraging him to make up imaginary ones, he's going to have a really hard time in school."

Maddie was frowning now, looking at her beautiful children. "But that just makes Danny special," she decided, standing up and taking Danny from Jazz's arms. She gently kissed him on his chubby cheek. "Our little boy has such a great imagination."

"People are going to think he's weird," Jazz groaned.

"People thought I was weird and looked how I turned out," Jack exclaimed, hand on his hips.

Maddie sighed, full of love for her husband and sending him a kiss. Jazz's face pinched in disgust and she mimicked puking. Why were her parents always so gross?

The adults broke out of their lovey-dovey dazes when an alarm on Maddie's watch went off. She startled, looking at the time. "Ah! Danny, are you sleepy yet?"

"No," Danny answered, eyes still on the ceiling. "No sleepy, Mommy."

"Aw," Maddie cooed, kissing his cheeks again, causing her son to giggle. "But it's time for little ones to take a nap."

Danny shook his head. "Want play," he said, smiling upwards. "Sven say play!"

Maddie managed to distract Danny from the fact she was already walking up the stairs to his room by continuing to talk to him about his imaginary friends. Her son was just so creative! "I thought your friend's name was Cat? And Knee?"

"No Kitty, Mommy, Nee say bad eyes look fer 'em," Danny said, his fist curling slightly as if he were holding onto something.

"Knee told you that?" she gasped, slowly opening the door to her son's room and smiling at the space-themed ceiling she and her husband had spent weeks constructing. "Well, I'm sure your friends will be safe and the… bad eyes? won't catch them. They're your friends so they must be smart!"

Danny nodded, smiling against her shoulder and she could feel his eyes drooping. "Knee say like me."

The mother gently set her child down into the crib–Danny was notorious for escaping them so they had a very high wall surrounding his bed–and ran a hand through his mess of black hair. He settled slowly, but kept his hand raised in the air still half closed.

"Sweetie, you have to put your hand down," Maddie soothed, reaching out to curl her fingers around his. As she tried to tug it, she was surprised to find she couldn't. Her little boy was so strong!

"Sven want sleep," Danny explained, shaking his hand so Maddie let go.

"Oh! Is Seven holding your hand?"

Danny nodded very seriously. "Sven sleep."

Maddie was absolutely taken by her sweet little boy. "Alright, Seven can stay with you." She turned to the empty space where she expected the imaginary friend to be. "But you take care of my boy, you hear me, Mr. Seven?"

Her son laughed, squirming and shaking his head. "Mommy nooooo! Sven there!" he screeched happily, pointing with his free hand to the head of his bed, directly above her son.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Seven," Maddie gasped, placing a hand over her chest and looking very sad. "How terribly rude of me."

Danny giggled again, rubbing his eyes. Noticing her son getting tired, Maddie tucked him in, pulling his astrology blanket up to his chin and carefully maneuvering it around the arm he insisted held his imaginary friend's hand. "Alright, little one. I love you. Sweet dreams."

The child hummed, peeking his eyes open to listen to his ghost friend as the being curled its seven arms around the sleepy child. Danny nodded when his friend finished and turned to his mom who was walking towards his door. "Mommy?" he asked quietly, yawning.

Maddie turned at the door. "Yes?"

"Sven say good luck."

Confused, his mother tilted her head. "Good luck?"

Danny nodded. "With the pu-ple flower."

As a mother, she was used to the nonsense of children by now so she simply smiled and promised she'd be back to wake him up for dinner. As she watched from the door, Danny drifted off somehow with his hand still suspended in the air.

She descended the stairs slowly, careful not to step on any of the places that creaked, and found her husband and daughter snacking on things in the kitchen. "No sugar before dinner," Maddie scolded.

"Yeah, Jazzy-pants!" Jack said, nodding.

His wife swiped the fudge bar from his hands as she passed. "I was talking to you, darling."

Jack pouted, shoulders dropping. At the table, Jazz snickered and continued to read her book and munch on her granola bar. "Danny asleep?" she asked.

"Like a baby."

"He _is_ a baby."

Sighing, Maddie searched the fridge for anything she could prepare for dinner (not noticing her daughters disgusted look as she realized there would be yet another ectoenergy enhanced dinner war with the food if her mom was cooking). "You kids just grow up so fast."

"Maybe if you'd come out of the basement more often, you'd notice that," Jazz replied, tone carefully blank.

Maddie sat up to send a wistful look to her eldest daughter, almost six years old and already so determined to do her best. "I know you don't understand our work, but your father and I have a lot going for us here in Georgia," she explained. "There's several companies that are even willing to sponsor us–"

"Oh! Mads!" Jack cheered suddenly, jumping up to hug her. "I forgot to tell you someone called about that!"

Jazz sighed loudly, muttering something along the lines of "typical" as her mother's attention did a 180 turnabout. Excited for the news, Maddie listened to the voicemail left on their machine after Jack explained that he had been too excited to pick up the phone. She was too thrilled to be mad at her adorable husband.

The offer was–to put it simply–extremely _generous._ The company was an up and coming paranormal research facility mostly centered on the study of ectoplasm, and apparently, they were very impressed with some of the Fenton's sample work. According to them, none of their employees had managed to redirect ectoplasm as swiftly as their weapons did, turning the mildly acidic substance into a tool when needed.

"Jack," Maddie breathed, hugging him close, "this is everything we've been waiting for. We can start on _The Portal_ , Jack!"

(Upstairs, a child hummed suddenly in his dazed, half awake state before his seven-armed friend rocked him back to sleep).

Jack twirled his wife around the kitchen, dodging their groaning daughter as Jazz tried to ignore the crazy in her family that seemed to skip a generation. Her parents hadn't been this happy in a long time, and despite hating their occupation Jazz had to admit that seeing them smile was nice.

Once her husband set her down, she eagerly informed him that they needed to do more research on the company before making a final decision, but that this was definitely a yes if everything checked out. She used the computer at their desk in the family room to search for the name and stopped, hand poised above the mouse after clicking on the company's website.

Jack read over her shoulder, "Thorn and Blossoms? What a unique name for a ghost hunting company. I like it!"

Maddie also agreed it was unique, possibly a tribute to the late 1600s where they used a type of flora and fauna to ward off ghosts, but all she could focus on was the symbol used to represent the company.

Staring back at her from the screen sat a single purple flower.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** Still a slow development because Danny's just a kid for now. He'll be going to school next! I usually jump a couple years for every chapter.

 **Q and A:**

Where do the Fentons currently live?

 _Georgia._

How old is Danny now? Jazz?  
 _Almost two. Jazz just turned five._

Jazz is pretty smart for a five-year-old.

 _Yeah, well, it's Jazz. And have you ever met a five-year-old? They're scary sometimes._

What's going on with Kitty and Johnny? Who's Seven?

 _They were in this chapter, affectionately named "Kitty and Nee" by Danny who can't quite get the Joh- sound yet. Seven is yet another ghost who has found out Danny can see him (over this story a lot of different ones will show up, but they aren't that important, just "imaginary friends") who has seven arms and allows Danny to give him the nickname "Seven." The focus wasn't on the ghosts this time because this POV was a look at Maddie and Jack's love for their child._

Are Maddie and Jack going to know something's off about Danny before he becomes a Halfa?

 _Yes, but as parents they'll try and pass it off as their boy just being "special and over imaginative" as he grows. There will be a specific incident where they can't ignore what's happening, however, a little bit after Danny enters school. Kids can be mean, but 'concerned' parents are worse._

"Bad eyes?"

 _Those one-eyed jackasses always find their way into my stories. The Ghost Council has noticed a significant increase in the amount of ghosts trying to squeeze through natural portals. It's like they're drawn to something in the human world..._

Review please! It keeps me motivated :)


	4. Adventures in Education (part 1)

**Chapter 3**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Adventures In Education (part 1)_

* * *

Ms. Anderson was the teacher's helper, a college education major placed at one of the top-notch counties in the state of Georgia, someone who considered herself very lucky with regards to her placement at "Cartin's Care Center," a Pre-K for children 3-years-old and up.

She started last year so she already had a small amount of experience dealing with little monsters and their terrible tantrums, but every year was different and she was pleasantly surprised to find herself finally gifted a class of relatively polite 3-year-olds.

(Of course, it wasn't actually her classroom given that she was only a teaching assistant until she received her degree, but who really cared?)

She was _just_ the teacher's helper, but for some reason she seemed to do more for this group of kids than the actual teacher.

Ms. Anderson knew kids were odd. She'd had a couple last year that claimed aliens had taken them–you know, typical toddler nonsense–but she had never met such a strange child as the Fenton's.

She remembered the introduction vividly–a family driving up in a giant neon green and white van would obviously cause a scene–and recalled the parent's overdramatic tears as they hugged their giggling son. In the end, as surrounding parents and children watched in odd fascination and curiosity, it was the eldest daughter who finally convinced the adults to let their son go. The son, who seemed to be taking the separation a lot better than his parents, allowed himself to be guided towards his classroom by Ms. Anderson.

The little one had beautiful eyes, the kind that made you stare until you realized they had asked you a question while you were lost in the intensity of their color. His hair was messy and he wore a shirt with a little green ghost on it.

As she had done for the rest of the kids she guided this morning, Ms. Anderson asked how he was feeling and if he was excited, trying to make him feel more comfortable.

The child nodded his head quickly. "Mommy says I make frien's. I say I have frien's but Mommys says Sven, and Kitty, and Nee don't count 'cause they Gests."

Remembering the alien's incident, Ms. Anderson laughed. "I'm glad you already have friends, but your mom is right! It'll be nice to meet more that are like you."

The child's nose scrunched up as he looked up at her. "You don't tell no one?" he asked, obviously preparing to tell her what his child-like mind viewed as a secret.

Ms. Anderson swore she wouldn't, but the child stayed silent until she crossed their pinkies and promised for a second time.

He sighed, suddenly looking relieved. "Okay, I like you, but you can't tell no one!" he whispered, tugging her sleeve until she paused and leaned down to listen. Even though the warmth she felt inside at his admission felt wonderful, Ms. Anderson absently noticed that the area around the two of them felt oddly cold for the end of the summer season.

"Sven, and Kitty, and Nee worry 'bout me so they come to school too," he said, a huge smile tacking over his face as the teaching assistant leaned back to smile at him. "They follow 'cause Mommy and Daddy and Azz don' see them."

"They sound like very good friends," Ms. Anderson agreed, looking down at the adorably imaginative child who eagerly jumped up and down.

His head turned somewhere to the left of her and he said, "See! I told you she like you!"

As the child talked to the empty air, Ms. Anderson could already feel herself filling with hope for the new year. Her first experience here was tarnished by the spoiled children last year had given her to deal with, but if the other kids were as sweet as this one then things were looking up!

Suddenly realizing she hadn't asked the child's name, Ms. Anderson did so.

The little one stopped talking to his ghost friends to turn to her again. "My name is Danny this time!" he said, grinning and taking her hand as they continued to walk towards the classroom. His excitement was enticing, but the answer was slightly off.

"This time?" she asked, confused.

Danny nodded, looking thoughtful. "I think I was someone else befo', but I'm Danny now."

"Do you mean you used to have a different name?" the teaching assistant prompted, remembering the gossip about a certain family only being accepted to such an expensive school due to government protection.

Danny shrugged. "Look diff'ent and tall," he explained reaching up and pointing past Ms. Anderson's head. "Reeeeeeally tall!"

The child stopped suddenly, squinting again and poking himself in the head. Before she could ask if he was alright, he suddenly reached backwards and touched his shoulders. His eyes widened and he twirled around quickly. "Hair gone too!" he said, acting as if he had just remembered something.

Danny stopped patting his back to look back up at the teacher. "I think I was girl last time," he stated very matter of factly, frowning.

Being careful to remind herself that kids often talked about nonsense things such as this, Ms. Anderson nodded along, hoping the child would share more. Perhaps it was a transgender thing? If so it was her duty as a teacher to offer support–

"Boy befo' too," Danny continued, humming. "Then not both? No, that one was stupid 'cause there were booms a lot and made wear yucky blankets. While 'go there ships and nice tea get in sea."

Danny paused to point to his arm and ask, "Can pe'ple be not white?"

The subject of race had come up quickly, and Ms. Anderson floundered for a moment. Of course, this was a neighborhood full of some extremely… rigid people who would sometimes bribe the relators into making sure no one of "that sort" found their way into–okay, who was she kidding? This was a town of racism and snobby old folks.

"Yes, Danny," she said gently, "people can be a darker color than you or I, but they are most certainty good people and you should not listen if someone tells you otherwise–"

"-I know," the child nodded, looking angry and rubbing his wrists. "Was too. Bad chains and boats. I mad so broke chain and help go others."

Ms. Anderson had dealt with a lot of weird stories from kids, but someone claiming they were not only a girl, but a different race before being who they were now was definitely a new one.

Danny was only three, and honestly if someone knew she was having this conversation about gender and race with a child in _this_ type of snobby neighborhood, she could be blacklisted from working in education. And this beautiful child who seemed so different from the others, who was loud and creative and accepting of several things he shouldn't even know about yet, did not deserve the angry stares of other adults.

Ms. Anderson gently placed her hands on Danny's shoulders and knelt down until they were eyelevel. The classroom was right down the hall so she felt like this needed to be addressed now.

"Danny, you sound like a wonderful and imaginative child, but I need you to do something for me, okay?" she explained, thankful when he nodded. "If you ever want to talk about your amazing adventures and your ghost friends, please come to me and I will listen for hours, I pinky promise."

She had to pause to clasp pinkies with the child whose eyes sparkled as he watched their entwined fingers. "But try not to tell other adults, the people who are tall and older like me, okay? It's a secret, like you said, and secrets are super important and only supposed to be shared with a couple of people."

Danny's head tilted slightly and his eyes found the empty space beside her. After a moment, he nodded again. "Nee says trust you."

Ms. Anderson released a breath. "I'm very glad they trust me, and I promise I'll explain when you're older, but talking like this in a place like this isn't good, you understand?"

"No," Danny said, with all the bluntness of a child. "But Nee like you and I like you."

The teaching assistant smiled, feeling a rush of affection for the kid who was quickly becoming her favorite. She brushed a strand of hair behind his ears when he blew on it. "Here," she laughed, pulling out a handful of bobby pins. "These will help keep your hair out of your eyes. Wouldn't want you to be blind on your first day of school!"

Danny gasped, smiling as he quickly picked out a butterfly clip with stars on it. "This one," he breathed.

Ms. Anderson clipped it in, a bit shocked at how vivid his eyes looked without his hair hiding parts of them. "Looks like we've got a little astronaut here," she teased, standing up and taking his hand again.

Danny sighed and looked at the sky. "Miss stars," he said with such a longing that Ms. Anderson almost believed he knew what it felt like to be among them.

The classroom door was closed when they approached, but it swung open suddenly. Expecting to see the teacher in charge holding it on the other side, Ms. Anderson was surprised to find no one standing there.

"Thanks, Kitty!" Danny cheered, waving at an empty space beside the door. He quickly let go of the teaching assistant's hand and raced inside the classroom, finding his nametag easily.

Ms. Anderson could have done a lot of things in response to the door opening by itself, instead she calmly stepped through and stared as the door slowly shut behind her. She stared at the door for quite a long time, ignoring the children talking amongst themselves in the background.

Finally, she breathed in deeply and said, quite unsure of herself, "Thank you."

The air next to her dropped ten degrees and rose just as quickly a second later.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

 **A/N:** Part one of little Danny's school time adventure! My favorite way of telling a story is through the POV of other characters (sometimes minor ones as they are the easiest to mold) as the main character grows and does things that continue to scare and surprise them. The " _Adventures in Education"_ arc will have a lot of Danny's classmates', Ms. Anderson's, teacher's, and parent's POV of the Fenton kid.

R & R please and thank you! :D

 **Q and A:**

Ages?

 _Danny is 3 and Jazz is finally starting Kindergarten at 6._

Okay... wtf is going on?

 _As explained in the prologue, Guardians are sort of reincarnations without actually having their souls reincarnated. They have the memories of their previous versions of themselves, but they are technically a new soul every singe rebirth. Danny is young and he is having trouble distinguishing between his past memories and his new ones. He was several different gender identities, races, and sexual identities in the past as he has been several different people before. The biggest thing to remember is that with Guardians, even if they have memories of their past lives, their thoughts, feelings, and actions are only dependent upon who they become now. That's why I say they are a new person each time._

Are things really still going to follow canon?

 _My story will meet up with canon eventually (a bit of an adjusted canon) and then branch off before the disaster that is Phantom Planet. Not sure if I want Danielle in this version... what do you guys think? Should Danielle be Vlad's attempt to make a Guardian like them, but obviously it doesn't work as nature itself fights back and keeps trying to melt her?_

Pairings?

 _As seen in pretty much all of my stories, I suck at romance and tend to prefer strong platonic relationships. There's too much plot here for me to allow romance to get in the way. This boy is saving the earth and trying to figure himself out, not looking for love in a time of war. Danny's romantic relationships with other people are almost as bad as his relationship with sleep._


	5. Adventures in Education (part 2)

**Chapter 4**

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 _Adventures in Education (part 2)_

* * *

"Danny, sweetie, that's not a letter," Ms. Anderson informed gently, leaning over the child's desk to look at his work.

Danny's nose scrunched up and he squinted at the paper. "It's _lgyb,"_ he voiced, very positive he knew what he was doing.

Upon hearing the word, Ms. Anderson nodded. "Did Kitty and Johnny teach you another word?"

"Yeah!" he answered excitedly, grinning at the teaching assistant. "Kitty says I'm getting better and everything."

She couldn't help but smile at how happy he looked. "I'm very proud of you," Ms. Anderson said, smiling when he gasped happily, "but this writing assignment is important so I won't be the one grading it."

After two years of teaching Danny Fenton, Ms. Anderson had picked up on a lot of things. One being that the air was always cold around him and two that he tended to speak, think, and write in different languages.

(There were a lot more things than that, but his not-so-imaginary friends and his language habits were the only ones she'd managed to keep the other adults from knowing about).

As soon as Danny's letters started changing after he'd learned parts of the English alphabet, Ms. Anderson began keeping track of the odd squiggles he used every so often and compared them over time to his work when he wrote in English. Every time he learned a new word from his friends, she added it to the list of translations she had pinned on her desk. Instead of trying to force the child to only learn English, she simply translated all his papers when grading them and gave him a score as if he had written it all in English.

"Can you tell me what this means, Danny? I'll add it to your chart," she soothed, pointing at what looked like weird symbols to her.

" _lgyb_! Cat! Not Kitty, though. Kitty says cat is not Kitty and Kitty is not a _lgyb_ ," he informed her very seriously.

As he spoke, the teacher walked by, casting a curious glance downwards at her assistant who was on the floor by the Fenton child again. "Anderson," she spoke as she passed, raising an eyebrow when her assistant moved in front of the child as if hiding his paper. "You're playing favorites again."

"Danny just needed some help spelling cat," Ms. Anderson answered, straightening to her full height. She may just be a college student, but she was a large woman with an intimidating stance.

"I'm meant to help with little things, am I not? I hardly think an exercise such as this needs your expertise." She kept her voice friendly, but the teaching assistant obviously meant to push the nosey teacher away.

The teacher frowned, looking over Ms. Anderson's shoulder at the humming child watching them both. "My recommendation means more than your refusal to the school board," she hissed. "If you continue to spend so much time on this one child I will have him placed in a special needs classroom."

"That's not needed," Ms. Anderson argued, but left it at that when the teacher walked away. Once the distance was almost five desks, she turned to Danny again.

"What's special needs?" Danny asked, continuing to write, thankfully in English.

"It's a class that helps students who need more individual-based instruction," she answered, forgetting she was talking to a four-year-old for a moment. Danny blinked at her and she blushed in embarrassment. "Ah, well, it sort of means their minds run differently than you or I– faster, slower, and making more unique connection than you or I ever could– and sometimes they have to do things different."

"You _do_ think differently, Danny," she admitted, patting his head, "you're such a gifted child, but if I let you go to the other class, they wouldn't understand your odd words or your friends like I have. I'm just afraid they'd end up stunting your progress."

Danny nodded, showing his paper and completely ignoring the explanation. "Done!" he cried, smiling at his project full of several new symbols and only half written in English.

Ms. Anderson sighed fondly, wondering if it was worth it to ask the head teacher to let her grade it.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The two teachers on recess duty watched the children out of the corner of their eyes.

"He's at it again," Holly remarked, frowning at the Fenton kid as he talked to what appeared to be himself. Every teacher kept a particular eye out for the constantly cheerful child, waiting for the day a tantrum would come with baited breath.

(Every child had one now and then so why would this one be any different.)

Her friend sighed, using his hands to rub his forehead. "Look, if the kid wants to talk to things that can't reply, so what?"

Holly turned to George. "He talks to _walls_."

George threw his hands in the air. "Honestly, they're better conversationalists than people."

The woman huffed at her colleague, crossing her arms. "He doesn't talk to the other kids, he doesn't make friends–"

"–and the world is obviously against you today because would you look at that," George interrupted, pointing at the playground where a girl was hesitantly approaching the Fenton kid.

He turned to her as the strange event unfolded before their eyes. "Now, please, tell me I'm not going to win a million dollars."

"Shut up, George."

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"Hi!" Tavasha said, smiling at the weird boy sitting by the daises. Her curls bounced as she plopped herself in the grass next to the boy. "I like your butterfly clip."

The boy immediately went wide-eyed. "I do too! Ms. Andy gave it to me last year 'cause she says imma be an astra.. aster.. asternayot when I get older!" He frowned and moved his tongue a bunch of times, as if he didn't know why he couldn't make his mouth sound the way his mind said things.

Tavasha picked a couple daises as they talked, already taking a liking to the other child. "What's that?" she asked, nose scrunched. "My Mommy says I gotta be a doctor to help people."

The boy excitedly told her about the stars and something called space. "You go up there?" she gasped, leaning forward and eyes sparkling.

Nodding, the other child bounced up and down. "Uh huh! I went before!"

"Nuh uh."

"Yeah huh! I r'member!"

"You are lie-ing," the girl laughed, not mad at all. She picked one of the daisies to place in the boy's hair. "What's your name?"

"I'm Danny."

"I'm Tavasha!"

Another hand reached over and took a daisy from the field. "I'm Tyler," said a boy, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and sitting next to the two kids. A couple more of their classmates started making their way over as the small group made a lot of noise.

"My mom told me about space," Tyler informed, looking very proud when Danny and Tavasha started excitedly asking him questions.

Danny was very happy. He had his ghost friends, but they were always telling him that he needed to make human ones too. His classmates never made an effort to talk to him, though, so he just went on having fun with his ghost friends and Ms. Anderson. But now that he had human friends, there was a warm, bubbly feeling in his chest and he wanted to make as many as possible!

Soon enough they had half the playground sharing stories about space and the stars. When they moved onto friends and family, Danny wanted to share Kitty, Johnny, and Seven with his new friends, but he thought Ms. Anderson might not like that.

Then he remembered that she had only told him not to tell other adults. His classmates were his age so it was probably okay.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Across the playground, several of the teachers on duty and the ones watching from the windows smiled happily at the sight of Danny finally getting along with the other kids. He was such a sweet child, but he never interacted with anyone but himself and that one teaching assistant from the classroom down the hall.

The teachers had all been wanting Danny to make friends.

If only things hadn't fallen apart so quickly because of it.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Ms. Anderson tried not to let things get to her. She was a very calm, patient individual, but when parents started showing up without their children before school began at the end of the week, she couldn't help but cast worried glances towards the door of the head teacher's office.

Four families showed up and all looked less than thrilled to be here. Whatever had happened, it was bad, and Ms. Anderson almost fainted when the head teacher made eye contact through the window.

She walked to the office as if a chain were weighing her down. As she entered, she noticed the frustrated expressions on the parents' faces, but they didn't appear to be aimed at her. "Is something the matter?" Ms. Anderson asked.

The head teacher held up a copy of Danny's work and something that made the assistant's heart stop: her translation paper.

"What is this?" the head teacher asked sternly, eyes pinched.

"That's– Danny has trouble with writing sometimes so I, well, he mixes the words enough that I started keeping a paper to help understand what he meant," Ms. Anderson answered, turning to watch the parents who were still looking less than pleased.

The head teacher stood. "What else have you been keeping from me?"

"Nothing! I–"

"He told my child there were monsters haunting him!" a parent cried suddenly, stepping forward to face Ms. Anderson. "And not just under his bed, he told my son they're everywhere, but no one can see them but _him_. Tyler hasn't slept all _week_!"

"He told my Jesseca that he used to look like her," another woman shrieked. "There was a child like that here at our school and you didn't inform us? What about my child's safety?"

They were talking about Danny. They were talking about her sweet, creative little student who wanted nothing more than to make friends and learn about the world.

"Danny's just imaginative!" Ms. Anderson defended quickly. "He doesn't mean these things, it's just a game he plays sometimes."

Another man in a clean suit voiced, "Oh, it is certainly not a _game_." He angrily pointed his hand at the head teacher. "The apple doesn't fall far from the crazy tree, does it? And you allowed a child such as this to enter our esteemed school?"

Ms. Anderson was lost, but the head teacher turned very pale. "The Fentons are under the protection of the government due to their profession–"

The man slammed his fast on the wall. "They hunt _ghosts_!" he shouted. "For God's sake, the parents have poisoned his mind so much that their child now believes in such nonsense!"

"He has invisible 'friends' that talk to him," a woman hissed, holding up a drawing of a green and grey being with seven arms, huge, shrunken eyes, and a smile. "He drew a picture for my Tavasha of _this monstrosity_ and now my angel is talking to the bloody walls and pretending they can talk back!"

"They're Danny's friends!" Ms. Anderson cried, angry. "Don't you dare make fun of them."

The office was silent and only the sniffles of one of the mothers echoed in the room. Ms. Anderson knew she had messed up big time when the head teacher dug her nails into her desk.

"You knew about this?" she asked, teeth clenched and voice rising. "These friends, the ghosts, the _monsters_?"

"Little kids have big imaginations. There is absolutely no harm in–"

The head teacher cut her off as she uttered the worst sentence Ms. Anderson had ever heard in her life. "As of today, you are officially removed from the care of classroom S and transferred to classroom B."

Ms. Anderson froze, choking on her words for a moment. She thought of sweet Danny being forced to write English, being yelled at for not thinking like the other kids, being pushed away by the adults whenever he talked about being someone else or _knowing things heshouldn't know_. "Please don't do this," she begged.

The head teacher honestly looked as though this pained her to do. In front of all these parents who would not be satisfied until something was done, she said, "I apologize, but a new assistant will be brought in to handle Daniel Fenton. This will be taken care of now."

Her chest hurt so much and she could feel her eyes burning at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to argue that Danny didn't need to be handled, that he was more special than they would ever get to know; she wanted to tell the stuck-up parents that their kids wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for Danny, that he had _saved all of their lives and never even told anyone about it–_

She left the office before she could make a scene, feeling as though the chains around her had added an extra weight that she could only drag behind her as she walked away.

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

 _During Danny's first year of Pre-K, a man showed up._

 _He said he was here to survey the landscape for a remolded playground. He had all the credentials and paperwork so the others never suspected a thing._

 _But Danny didn't like him, and that immediately told Ms. Anderson something was wrong._

 _The more she noticed Danny's agitation towards the new man during the week he came to observe, the more she noticed that the man didn't seem to be looking at the grounds as often as he looked at the kids. The man often mumbled under his breath as well, and Danny told Ms. Anderson that Kitty told him the man was "counting."_

 _Counting what was the ultimate question, and something she knew she wouldn't like the answer to._

 _On the final day of his inspection period, Danny suddenly grabbed her hand during recess. "Tick," he told her, eyes wide and focused on the man. "Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick."_

 _The man had a bomb strapped to himself in the center of the playground and Danny was the only one who heard it. Ms. Anderson didn't even question how he knew, she reached for her phone and called the police._

 _They showed up in seconds and the kids were evacuated quickly. The man had put the bomb on a five-minute timer to unsure he could appear less suspicious and mingle amongst the most kids before it went off, so he was unarmed and unable to threaten to set the bomb off early._

 _She never told the police she was the one who called them and she never told the other teachers Danny was the one who saved them._

 _As the man was dragged away, all she did was hug the child to herself and hold him tight, wishing more than anything that she would be able to protect him always._

 _The world doesn't work like that, however, and soon Danny would have to learn on his own that being different was less important to the world than fitting in._

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

 **A/N:** Poor Ms. Anderson. I liked her. She might show up again in future chapters, but I need to keep this story moving. Danny had protection for two full years, but now he'll have to face the unknown world of human beings without a barrier.

Drawings of young Danny, Kitty, Johnny, Seven, Jazz, and even the Trio in the future are on my Deviantart and Tumblr.


End file.
